Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture (Cathartes burrovianus) lives in grasslands across Central and South America. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture
- It locates carrion by detecting the scent of ethyl mercaptan, a gas produced by the beginnings of decay in dead animals. The olfactory lobe of its brain responsible for processing smells is particularly large compared to other animals. Humans have hijacked this nose-sense: ethyl mercaptan is injected into pipelines, and engineers looking for leaks then follow the foraging vultures. This sharp nose lets the species clean up disease-spreading carcasses.
- A tiny bill forces the lesser yellow-headed vulture to team up with bigger scavengers. Its beak is not strong enough to tear the hide of larger animals, so it relies on king vultures, which lack a sense of smell, to open carcasses. King vultures follow the lesser yellow-headed vultures to carcasses, where the king vulture tears open the skin of the dead animal. This allows the smaller lesser yellow-headed vulture access to food, as it does not have a bill strong enough to tear the hide of larger animals. The partnership linking two species in a mutual-dependence web.
- Despite being the lightest New World vulture, it is 53-66 cm (21-26 in) in length, with a wingspan of 150-165 cm (59-65 in) and a tail length of 19-24 cm (7.5-9.4 in). Its weight ranges from 0.95 to 1.55 kg (2.1 to 3.4 lb). Those dimensions let it glide low over wetlands, using thermals to stay aloft with almost no wing-flapping.
- Parents skip nests and lay two eggs on bare ground or in caves, then raise helpless chicks. Two eggs are generally laid. The chicks are altricial, they are blind, naked and relatively immobile upon hatching. The parents feed their young by regurgitating pre-digested food into their beak, where the chicks then drink it. The young fledge after two to three months.
- Even with a range, the bird remains common enough to be listed as Least Concern. It has an estimated global range of 7,800,000 km² (3,000,000 sq mi) and a population of between 100,000 and 1,000,000 individuals. Its population trend appears to be stable.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeCentral and South America
HabitatGrasslands
DietCarrion and scraps
About the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture
As the sun rises over the tropical savannah, the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture stretches its broad wings, shaking out the night's slumber with a languid rustle of feathers. With a slow, deliberate beat, it takes to the skies, its piercing gaze scanning the landscape below for the telltale signs of carrion, its sharp eyesight guiding it with unerring precision to the next meal. In a world of scavengers, this bird is a master of patience and persistence, ruling the thermals with a quiet, unassuming dominance.
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